~Being Thankful~

Every day from now, November 1st, until Thanksgiving I want to list something I am thankful for. Will you join me? There is no better time to think about it as we head towards Thanksgiving so lets do it together.

I will add to my list each day and keep it at as the top post on the blog so it will be easy to find if you are interested.  Leave me a comment with your blog address if you are going to do it and I would love to follow along with you too! (If you don't have a blog and want to share, just drop a comment every day)  :)

My 2010 List:

* I am thankful for holidays that remind me to think of all the wonderful things in my life.

* I am thankful for my blog that offers me a place to share my thoughts and the everyday moments of my life  with my family, friends and wonderful people I've met through it.

* I am thankful for my home.  It keeps me warm on windy, snowy nights. It houses my family and there I am surrounded by people who love me.

*I am thankful for my Mom and Dad, both of whom not only love and protect me as much today as the day I was born but who are two of my closest friends. I would be lost with them and there is never a day I don't thank God they are mine!

*Today I am thankful for my brothers and my sister. They are fun loving kids who never cease to make me smile. They are wonderful role models for my kids. They keep me young and make me so very proud!

*I am thankful that I live in the state of Alaska. I grew up in very busy southern states and I am so grateful for the less populated, small town appeal Alaska offers. I can't imagine any other place I would have rather raised my children!

*I am thankful for the men and women of the armed forces. Our family has a long history of men who've served including my cousin who is currently serving in Afghanistan. If it were not for the men and women of our military we would not live as we do. I am thankful for all of them and all that they and their families give so I may have the freedoms I have!

*I am thankful for Grandparents and Great-Grandparents. They are everything we often can't be as parents! They are LOVE, they are attention, they are a wealth of spoiling, they are an ear they are a distraction to a parent! :) And all too often they are gone from us way too fast.  I am grateful that I have a Grandparent who is still with me and that my girls have an abundance of the most wonderful Grandparents and Great-Grandparents ever!

*I am thankful for Aunts and Uncles. In our family we have a slew of amazing, quirky, fun and fabulous aunts who love and spoil us all the time! We have many Uncles and they are equally as wonderful! They all love us, encourage us and are all-around great people to Me, Scott and especially to my girls!  Each one of them are special to all of us and we love them very much!

 

*I am thankful for modern medicine.  Including things that will take my 3-day headache away!


*I am thankful for kind people. Kindness seems to find me just when I need it most and comes from the most unexpected places. 


*I am thankful for all the activities my kids participate in. Namely, cheer, soccer, band, choir, basketball, and I am sure thee are more. It keeps them busy and out of trouble. It keeps me busy and exhausted enough that I never have trouble falling asleep. :) Through all these things we stay close as a family and have so much fun in the process.


*I am thankful for sleep. (For me and my babies) Especially on days I am SO tired!


*I am thankful for friends. Friends who are there when I need them, friends who let me vent, friends who play games and take pictures with me, friends who are just as much family as blood relatives, friends who love me just the way I am, friends who mean the world to me and with whom I'd be lost without!


*Today I am thankful for airplanes and tomorrows. The planes will bring my husband, my Dad, step-mom, brother and sister home to us tomorrow1 It's gonna be a great day!


*I am thankful my husband has work and thankful that it always brings him back home.


*I am thankful for my babies! All 3 of my daughters light my life and make my world go 'round. They are kind, accepting and empathetic.  They are fun-loving, motivated, spontaneous, strong, confident and self-motivated kids.  They are everything I've taught and raised them to be and so much better than I am.  They make me proud every day just being exactly who they are. 


*I am thankful for the school my children attend and the opportunities I have to share the experiences they have there, with them.  I am grateful I get to volunteer and share the things I love to do with them and their friends that attend school with them.  It's a wonderful place and perfect for their first years of the long journey through their education.


*I am thankful for the professionals and businesses in out community. Our policeman and firemen are awesome. I know many wonderful and dedicated guys there. We have several amazing doctors and nurses in the area. There are incredibly supportive and giving businesses in this town. We are incredibly fortunate to have so many and I am grateful for each of them.


*I am thankful for the little surprises and moments in my life that are more important than the grandest of events. Notes in my inbox, special messages from a freind, a pick-me-up token of affection, a kiss, a hug, a loving moment. Those things mean so much to me and I am so grateful to know people who think of me so often!

*I am thankful for the chats I am able to have with my children. We have worked hard to keep open lines of communication between us. I've often shared with them the importance of communicating with each other and have prayed many days that what we share now will continue through their adult lives. I am grateful that they are currently willing to talk to me and will still ask for advice or an ear to vent to.

*I am thankful that I am loved.

*I am thankful for new experiences like... cooking a turkey.  I may not be as thankful tomorrow so I will mention it now. :)

 *I am thankful for my husband. We just work together, even when we don't.  We started as friends and we still are.  I can't imagine life without him and see my future with only him!  I love him with all my heart and am so grateful we were brought together so many years ago!


*I am thankful for my God, for my creation, for this wonderful life I have and for all the gifts in it!


Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

 My Mom is participating in this with me. She started a little, later than I did (and maybe she will catch up) so she doesn't have as many

 I want to share the things she is grateful for too to compare what we value most. (I imagine it will be a closely related list) I also would like my girls to have it to reflect back on some day.

Grandma's Thankful list:

*I am grateful for my job because in today’s economy it has become increasingly difficult for  many to find work.

*I am thankful that I can get out of bed in the morning and be a productive member of society.

*I am thankful for my only sister and my two brothers.  Without them I would not be who I am today. We grew up together, fought together and still loved each other unconditionally.  I attribute that to my mother’s determination to keep us together, even when the going was extremely tough.

*I am thankful for my grandchildren who make me smile when I think of them. I only wish I lived closer so I could spend more time experiencing their crazy life!


*Today I am thankful that it's Friday and the work-week has come to an end.